Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
There are many instances in my life that I realized the importance of being organized such as having children and creating a work life balance, helping my daughter move in and out of college dorms and houses. Several of my friends asked for my opinion on design and furniture layout as well as organizing strategies. What I found is that being organized simply makes life run smoothly.
Before moving to North Carolina, I lived in Ohio and was a preschool teacher. That job required a high level of organization and compassion. Upon moving here, I needed a flexible work schedule because my son was in year round school and I wanted to find a way to be with him and still do something that fullfilled my soul. The thought of using my skills to help others with their challenges is what made me pursue starting Space to Embrace. I love to see the immediate changes to the spaces and to impact my clients lives in a positive way. With the busy lives that everyone leads, I’m the helping hand for families to stay afloat in their lives at home and making it a space that they love and enjoy. When a job is completed, I can see the stress lifted from my clients shoulders and it’s a beautiful thing!
I am a very kind and compassionate person. I was taught by my parents at a young age to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Getting to know each family and then working together to create a better flow of the home brings me joy. I take a “no judgment” approach to each job. I will not make you feel bad about your space. We are not perfect people and neither are our homes, and I understand where you are coming from. My end goal is to help you simplify and organize your space and make it a desirable place to be in.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with every business, it takes time to grow a business. When I moved here, I didn’t know a soul. However, I have the “gift of gab” and talk to everyone everywhere! I would try to find a way to share my business with everyone that I met. A lot of people don’t even realize that this type of business exists and so many people need the type of assistance we offer. I joined networking groups and attended networking events to introduce myself to as many people as possible and to share what my business is all about. As I met and talked with people, several realized that they could use my assistance or knew somoeone that could and would pass my information along. I am forever greatful for those that gave me a chance and promoted me. As my business grew, I realized that I needed to add to staff and have continued to add additional members. I now have five employees that work with me on an as needed basis. They all have the same passion for organizing as I do and we share the same values of being non judgmental and having a lot of compassion for our clients. Often, we are with them at a very vulnerable time in their life. We are happy to be there “life-saver”!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Space to Embrace?
I started Space to Embrace in 2016 with the intention of using my talents and skills to help others with their challenges. We help organize various spaces in people’s homes such as garages, attics, kitchens, pantries, closets an kids play rooms. While we love all of those areas, we also have helped several people with their moves, especially seniors. We have a lot of compassion for them. We carefully pack their belongings and outsource a mover and then we unpack and organize them in their new home. Often this includes assistance with furniture placement and hanging of artwork. We do it all! My team and I come in with a lot of positie energy to every job! Clients will comment on it and say that it is infectious and they are often inspired as a result of us. Several of the moves for our seniors are internal moves within the same building. We love the opportunity to take the stress of of this process and make it a seamless move for them.
Our compassion and positive energy sets us apart from others in our industry. Our goal is to complete the job as effeciently as possible and still have fun with our clients in the processs. Our relationship with our clients is meaningful, they aren’t just our clients, they are our friends.
I am proud of my my team and the reputation we have. We take our jobs seriously and work hard at understanding the needs of our clients and work hard to fulfill those needs and create systems that they can manage.
We take care of our clients like as if they were our own family (minus the bickering, lol). When people come to us for assistance, they are typically at the end of their rope and feel hopeless. I love that we can be their lifeline and bring some joy into their lives by organizing their spaces and showing them more effecient ways to use their space to it’s maximum possibility.
We have also vetted several vendors that can assist in areas that we don’t specialize in. It is great to be a referral source to our clients for whatever additional needs that may arise. Whether it be the need of a handyman, junk/trash removal, painter, epoxy floring for garage space, cleaners and general life necessities like financial planners, bakers, cleaners, estate planners, insurance representatives. Through my networking, I have met several people in various industries and making connnections with people is one of my favorite things to do.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned is that we all have our own battles that we are facing. While we don’t show them outwardly, everyone is going through something and we need to extend grace. It’s so important to take the time to talk to people about the struggles they are facing and to bring some positive light to the situation to help remove some of the weight they feel on their shoulders. In our business, this is typically the “stuff” that is surrounding our clients in their physical space. Finding the most logical places to store everthing and to do it in an organized manner is so helpful. A cluttered space causes a cluttered mind. Once we have the space organized, their mind is also clearer and they can focus their energy on other areas of their life that need attention.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spacetoembrace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spacetoembrace/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spacetoembrace/
